Features

DUBAI — Cloning is in high demand in the competitive world of camel beauty pageants, leaving scientists at a Dubai clinic working round the clock to produce carbon-copy beasts.

Not every animal is blessed with sought-after drooping lips and a tall, elegant neck, but technology now allows wealthy clients to replace their most beautiful camel with one just like it.

At the Reproductive Biotechnology Centre, with views of the UAE city’s towering skyscrapers, scientists pore over microscopes while dozens of cloned camels roam outside.

“We have so much demand for cloning camels that we are not able to keep up,” the centre’s Scientific Director Nisar Wani told AFP.

Beauty pageants are not the only driver of the camel cloning industry. Many customers want to reproduce racing camels, or animals that produce large amounts of milk.

But “beauty queens” are the most popular order. Gulf clients will pay between 200,000 and 400,000 dirham ($54,500-$109,000) to duplicate a dromedary.

The camels are paraded at dusty racetracks around the region and scrutinised by judges, with occasional discoveries of Botox and cosmetic fillers adding a spice of scandal to the high-stakes contests.

Saud Al Otaibi, who runs a camel auction in Kuwait, said customers’ judgement of the animals’ looks is key to his business.

“The price of the camel is determined according to its beauty, health, and how well known the breed is,” he told AFP.

When it comes to young animals, “customers are keen on seeing the mother to determine its beauty before buying the camel”, he added.

No going back

Twelve years ago, Dubai claimed the world’s first cloned camel. 

Injaz, a female whose name means achievement in Arabic, was born on April 8, 2009, after more than five years of work by Wani and others.

From the minute Injaz was born, there was no going back. 

“We are now producing plenty, maybe more than 10 to 20 babies every year. This year we have 28 pregnancies [so far], last year we had 20,” Wani said with pride.

The centre is churning out “racing champions, high milk-producing animals... and winners of beauty contests called Beauty Queens”, added Wani, sitting in a lab next to the preserved body of a cloned camel in a glass container.

Known as “ships of the desert”, and once used for transport across the sands of the Arab peninsula, camels are symbols of traditional Gulf culture.

Now, after being replaced by gas-guzzling SUVs as the main mode of transport, they are used for racing, meat and milk.

“We have cloned some she-camels that produce more than 35 litres of milk a day,” said Wani, compared to an average of five litres in normal camels.

Camel milk is commonly found next to regular milk at supermarkets in the Gulf, while meat products such as camel carpaccio are served in fancy restaurants.

‘Saddest moment’

Cloning dogs, cows and horses is popular in many countries, although animal rights groups say the process causes undue suffering to the animals that provide the egg cells and carry embryos.

With orders flying into the cloning clinics in the United Arab Emirates, the only such facilities in the Gulf, scientists have developed new techniques to keep up with the pace.

Female camels only give birth to one calf every two years, including a gestation period of 13 months. 

But breeding centres use a surrogacy technique to increase the number of offspring, whether from cloning or traditional breeding.

“In this process which we call multiple ovulation and embryo transfer, we super-stimulate the champion females and breed them with champion males,” explained Wani.

“We collect the embryos from these females after seven to eight days and then we put them in surrogate mothers, which are very ordinary animals.” 

Alternatively, cloned camels can be created by placing DNA from cells in the desired animal’s ovaries into eggs taken from the surrogate mothers.

“These mothers carry the babies to term, and instead of producing one baby at a time in a year, we can produce many calves from these animals.”

Cloning is not just for those who want to own elite camels. Sometimes, clients simply want to reproduce a beloved animal after a sudden death.

Wani, who started working at the clinic in 2003, said his proudest moment was the birth of Injaz — and the worst time was her death.

“She died this year,” he said. “When we came in the morning, she had ruptured her uterus. We tried to save her as much as possible. This was the saddest moment.”

PARIS — Animal farming accounts for twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as plants grown for consumption, according to a study published on Monday that mapped agricultural activities worldwide.

What humans eat accounts for a major chunk of the emissions behind climate-change — transportation, de-forestation, cold-storage and the digestive systems of cattle all send polluting gases into the atmosphere.

Researchers looked at carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide released by food production and consumption from farming on land. And they found that, from 2007 to 2013, the emissions amounted to 17.318 billion metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases per year — or 35 per cent of all human-caused emissions.

The study, which modelled net emissions for over 170 plant and 16 animal products in nearly 200 countries, calculated that 57 per cent of food-related emissions were from animal-based foods — including crops grown to feed livestock.

Plants grown for human consumption generated 29 per cent of food emissions, the study published in Nature Food found, and the rest was attributed to other commodities like cotton and rubber. It did not include emissions from fisheries.

Plant-based diets are widely thought to be better for the planet — but lead researcher Atul Jain, of the University of Illinois, said he wanted to know exactly how much, admitting he had a personal reason for wanting to dig deeper into the issue.

"I've been a vegetarian since my childhood," he told AFP. "I wanted to estimate what my carbon footprint was."

To come up with a consistent model for so many different products, Jain's team set to work from the ground up, breaking down the globe's farmland into some 60,000 grid squares.

"Once we identify the crop area in a grid cell, we determine what percentage of the area is allocated to the crop, to the forest, and to the grasses, and so on," he said.

This allowed the researchers to model location-specific emissions data for dozens of major crops and animal products.

They also included country-specific data related to food consumption, including importing and exporting related emissions.

Beef was the largest-contributing commodity, responsible for some 25 per cent of food emissions, and rice was the worst plant offender, accounting for 12 per cent.

This helped place cattle-farming South America and rice-growing Southeast Asia as the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses related to food production.

The study measured the impact of crops grown for human consumption and those grown for animal feed separately, and factored in things like transportation and trade.

To calculate net emissions, they also accounted for the presence of plants that absorb carbon.

"You have to account for everything because there are so many feedbacks and interactions," Jain said.

The study noted the growing demand for food worldwide and the industry's potential to exacerbate global warming.

Jain said his next research challenge was to include more granular data on consumption trends across the world to build a tool to allow people to calculate their own food-based carbon footprint.

"You can go to your location, identify what you eat, how much you eat, and calculate your own carbon footprint," he said.

With larger families and a particular penchant for the Mercedes-Benz brand, it is a wonder that the Mercedes V-Class and its Viano predecessor have traditionally not had a big presence on the Jordanian automotive scene, until recent months.

At the pricier and larger end of the multipurpose (MPV) vehicle market, Mercedes’ elegant and highly practical people carrier’s popularity had suffered from high running costs and registration fees in its previous Viano incarnation, when the only petrol version legal for Jordanian roads as a three-row passenger vehicle was powered by a thirsty 3.5-litre V6.

Private buyers, however, preferred to either spend such money on more fashionable SUVs and more traditional saloons, often from Mercedes’ large stable of models. Meanwhile, fleet operators and private buyers of dual family and work use two-row diesel vans tended to look to less expensive and less luxurious alternatives like the Hyundai H1, rather than the Viano or its two-row diesel-powered Vito van sister model. The advent of the re-named successor V-Class MPV in 2014 saw the introduction of a downsized but similarly powerful turbocharged 2-litre engine, which brought running and registration costs down.

An increasingly common but classy sight

But with a premium price tag, the stylish new V-Class nevertheless remained an expensive proposition for the MPV crowd, and stayed in the shadow of trendier but less practical large SUVs and crossovers. Or that was the case until around a year or two ago. With the introduction of a lightly revised V-Class for the 2020 model year, pre-facelift versions of both the petrol-powered V-Class and to some extent diesel-powered dual use Vito van prices have gone down on the independent import market, which has subsequently led to significantly increased popularity.

With greater emphasis on design than its predecessor, the more charismatically assertive V-Class’s styling uses subtle interplays of convex and concave shapes and surfaces, more prominent crease lines and smoother, better integrated bumpers, but remains evolutionary and functional in spirit. An increasingly common sight that is better looking than newer face-lifted versions, earlier V-Class models feature a snoutier and better framed fascia, and more grounded stance, with three section lower intakes, rather than a single full-width mesh element. Offered in three lengths, the V-Class is best proportioned in Extra Long guise, with its longer wheelbase complemented with a longer rear overhang.

Downsized but right sized

Elegant in its front engine and rear drive proportions, short front overhang, large swept back windscreen and bulging clamshell bonnet, the petrol V250 model is powered by a turbocharged direct injection 2-litre 4-cylinder engine mated to a smooth and slick shifting 7-speed automatic gearbox. Developing 208BHP at 5500rpm and 258lb/ft torque throughout 1200-4000rpm, the V250 Extra Long is capable of estimated 9.4-second 0-100km/h acceleration and an estimated 210km/h top speed. Responsive and brisk despite its 2-tonne heft, the V250 also feels quicker and more muscular than its larger and 20BHP more powerful naturally-aspirated V6 predecessor.

With only slight turbo lag evident in its ‘Eco’ driving mode, the V250 is better driven in default mode. Happy to rev through to its redline, the V250 may not quite match its predecessor in outright power, but instead delivers a much wider and slightly punchier mid-range that is more accessible and especially better-suited for mini-van service with its more muscular hauling, incline climbing and motorway overtaking abilities. The V250’s smaller, lighter engine also means that it is more eager and nimble into corners than its predecessor or what is expected in its segment.

Going long

Tidy into corners with little understeer even when pushed aggressively, the V250 Extra Long is balanced and unexpectedly agile through switchbacks, but with its forward driving position and 3200mm wheelbase, one needs to turn-in slightly later than is intuitive. Nevertheless, its long wheelbase delivers good rear grip and predictably progressive oversteer if provoked. Positive, precise and eager to self-centre, the V250’s electric-assisted rack and pinion steering delivers better feel and feedback than most MPVs. And with a balanced chassis and upright driving position with little impeded front views, the V250’s provides an involving driving experience.

More rigid and refined in construction and ride quality than its predecessor, the high spec V250 Avantgarde rides on independent rear suspension with variable dampers that become more forgiving for straight line comfort and taut for good cornering body control. A natural long distance companion, the V250 is stable, comfortable and refined at speed, while Avantgarde 245/45R19 tyres provide a good compromise between control and comfort. A smooth ride, the V250’ vertical movement is slightly exaggerated over choppy roads, but is otherwise reassuringly settled. Meanwhile, a tight 12.5 metre turning circle, makes the V250 Extra Long unexpectedly manoeuvrable.

Cavernous comfort

Enormous at 5370mm long, 1928mm wide and 1880mm tall, the V-Class Extra Long is nevertheless comparatively easy to manoeuvre when driving forward, while the driven Avantgarde version features 360° and reversing camera parking package and optional blind spot and lane assistance systems to aid rear and over the shoulder visibility in such a large vehicle. Cavernous inside, the V250’s walk-in passenger and cargo space far exceeds any car or SUV, and features a long, wide and tall loading bay with a low loading lip and automatic tailgate, with rear glass hatch for added practicality.

Luxuriously comfortable, refined and accommodating inside, the V250 Avantgarde is classy yet modern, with leather upholstery, good build and material quality, tinted rear windows and numerous mod cons, safety features and a contemporary dashboard design and infotainment system. Highly practical, it features plenty of interior storage spaces and two huge sliding remote operating rear doors for easy cabin access in confined spaces. With configurable and removable rear seating and table, the V250 can accommodate eight passengers with a mid-row bench or seven passengers with mid-row captain’s seats, similar to the supportive and comfortable driver’s seat.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, in-line 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 83.1 x 91.9mm

Compression ratio: 9.8:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 7-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 208 (211) [155] @5,500rpm

Specific power: 104.5BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 258 (350) @ 1,200-4,000rpm

Specific torque: 175.8Nm/litre

0-100km/h: 9.4-seconds

Maximum speed: 210km/h

Fuel tank: 70-litres

Length: 5,370mm

Width: 1,928mm

Height: 1,880mm

Wheelbase: 3,200mm

Track, F/R: 1,666/1,646mm

Overhang, F/R: 895/1,045mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficiency: 0.31

Unladen weight: 2,055kg (estimate)

Steering: Electric-assisted, rack and pinion

Turning circle: 12.5-metres

Suspension F/R: MacPherson struts/semi-trailing arms, coil springs, anti-roll bars, variable damping

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 245/45R19

By Mariam Hakim
Relationships and couples therapist

Manipulating someone into doubting their sanity is sadly quite prevalent in relationships. This type of emotional abuse is called gaslighting.

In the 1940s movie, Gaslight, a husband manipulates his wife to give up her fortune to his benefit by slowly making her believe she is insane. He takes pictures down from the walls of their home and asks her who put them down. He gifts her jewellery, then hides it and asks why she lost it. He makes noise in the attic and dims the gaslights in the house, leading her to doubt her sanity and her reality.

This psychological or emotional abuse, dubbed “gaslighting”, is when someone consciously or unconsciously manipulates another person to question their reality.

What does gaslighting look like in a relationship?

Generally, it mostly occurs in relationships that have an imbalance of power between partners: One person feels superior and has more power in the relationship and is invested in maintaining that power at all times by making sure that their reality (opinion, perspective) is always the right one and that their partner agrees with them. Gaslighting is commonly present in the following relationship dynamics: 

A partner with narcissistic tendencies

Narcissists want to feel better than everyone else, including their partner and thus feel that their opinions, needs and perspectives are the most important; they need to be right all the time. But deep down inside, narcissists are very fragile and have low self-esteem. To maintain that strong false image about themselves, they need to make you believe that they are always in the right. 

A partner with any form of addiction or dependency

Drug, alcohol, gambling, sex, work, shopping or gaming addicts use gaslighting to misguide and hide their addictions. For example, an alcoholic may keep denying that they have alcohol on their breath and tells her or his spouse that it is all in their imagination. A sex addict may deny that her or his sexual messages with someone are romantic or sexual in nature, telling their spouse that it is all imagined.

An unfaithful partner

A spouse may notice changes in a partner’s behaviour habits and attitude, such as late-night calls and messages, staying out late after work, acting very protective around their mobiles and computer. To deny the cheating and maintain the status quo, the partner may lie and manipulate their significant other by making them believe that they imagine things.

Examples of common phrases and words used by gaslighters

•They hurt you by being mean or disrespectful, but when you call them out on it, they tell you, “you are so sensitive”, or “I was just joking; why can’t you just take a joke!”

•If you need them to spend more time with you or meet any other emotional need, instead of validating your feelings and your request, they tell you that you are very needy, that there is something wrong with you

•The abuser denies or pretends to forget that something happened, has been said, or discussed, telling their partner, “what are you talking about?”, “you are making this up,” or “you are crazy.”

How to know if you are a victim of gaslighting

Here are the signs of gaslighting, according to Dr Robin Stern, author of The Gaslight Effect – How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life: 

•You are constantly secondguessing yourself

•You ask yourself, “Am I too sensitive?” a dozen times a day

•You often feel confused and even crazy

•You’re always apologising to your mother, father, boss

•You can’t understand why, with so many good things in your life, you aren’t happier

•You frequently make excuses for your partner’s behaviour to friends and family

•You find yourself withholding information from friends and family, so you don’t have to explain or make excuses

•You know something is wrong, but you can never quite express what it is, even to yourself 9. You start lying to avoid the put downs and reality twists

•You have trouble making simple decisions

•You feel that you used to be a very different person — more confident, more fun-loving, more relaxed

•You feel hopeless and joyless

•You feel as though you can’t do anything right

•You wonder if you are a “good enough” girlfriend/wife/ employee/ friend/ daughter

Gaslighting can have enormous negative effects on the victim’s mental health: 

•Chips away at confidence or self-esteem; when someone constantly makes you doubt your perceptions and reality, you gradually start believing them

•The constant state of self doubt and confusion can develop into mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress and co-dependency

•Losing trust in one’s self, others and relationships in general

Recovering begins with awareness. I recommend reading up on gaslighting and engaging the help of a therapist who works with emotional abuse.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

PARIS — A finger-sized fossil from 308 million years ago unearthed in the United States gives tantalising clues to the habits of tiny dinosaur-like creatures that may be the forerunners of reptiles, researchers recently revealed. 

The new species is a microsaur — small, lizard-like animals that roamed the Earth well before proper dinosaurs made their appearance.

The find sheds important light on the evolution of different animal groups, including amphibians and reptiles, scientists wrote in the journal Royal Society Open Science. 

Microsaurs lived during the Carboniferous period, when the forebears of modern mammals and reptiles, called amniotes, first appeared.

“Many details of that transition aren’t well known,” study co-author Arjan Mann, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Institution, told AFP.

“Microsaurs have recently become important in understanding the origins of amniotes,” he said. “A lot of these microsaurs have been thought to be either ancestors of amphibians or ancestors of reptiles.”

Encased in a bog in what is today the central United States, the specimen’s serpent-like body measures about five centimetres. 

The animals had four short, plump legs.

In deference to its tiny size, researchers dubbed the new species Joermungandr bolti after a giant sea serpent from Norse mythology who did battle with Thor.

Scientists were astonished to discover the fossil also contained the animal’s skin.

“Areas of the skin had only been known from fragmentary fossils before,” said Mann.

“This microsaur is the whole shebang... that’s very rare for these fossils. It’s very rare for anything 300 million years old to have skin with it!”

Head-first burrower

Contrary to previous ideas about microsaurs, which had been classed as amphibians, Mann and his team discovered that Joermungandr had scales.

“Modern amphibians... are soft and slimy things, this was not a soft and slimy thing,” says Mann. 

“This animal really had a reptile-like look to it.” 

Mann said the research suggests not only that microsaurs might be early relatives of reptiles, but also that the ability to burrow may have played a bigger role in the origin of amniotes than originally thought.

The researchers used a highly sensitive imaging technique called scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to get an up-close look at the nearly perfect fossil.

They discovered a pattern of ridges similar to those found on the scales of modern reptiles that dig into the ground.

Along with other features like a robust skull and elongated body, the scale shape led researchers to hypothesise that Joermungandr burrowed as well.

“It would probably have been a head-first burrower, using its head to smack itself into the soil,” said Mann.

“Its limbs were probably not very functional. It may have used them to stabilise itself as it was wobbling around. But its primary mode of movement would have been side winding like a snake.”

The SEM imaging technique is now being applied to many other ancient fossils, Mann said.

“We plan to do a lot of SEM and also 3-D printing the scales at larger sizes,” he added. “And some biomechanics to see how they interacted with things like dirt and water.”

By Brigitte Hagemann
Agence France-Presse

MILAN — A pool table that changes into a dining table, a bookshelf that transforms into a filing cabinet and noise-cancelling panels to facilitate home-working: adapting to life after coronavirus was on the minds of many exhibitors at Milan Furniture Fair this week.

After months cooped up at home, many people's houses and apartments have been transformed into offices, schools, gyms and playgrounds, blurring the lines between public and private spaces.

"The home has become a refuge for its inhabitants, a welcoming place that reflects the personality of each of them and offers both comfort and a certain flexibility," Maria Porro, head of the Salone del Mobile fair, told AFP.

"Hence the search for materials that feel nice to touch, and multifunctional pieces that allow spaces to be modulated and personalised."

Modular billiards

A pool table in canaletto walnut laid with plates and candles draws the eye of visitors, who stop to feel its smooth surface and take photos.

"Demand has increased with the pandemic because people have rediscovered their home and want a games area that transforms easily into a dining table or desk," said Guido Rossi of the manufacturer MBM Biliardi.

Nearby, Ferrimobili offers tailor-made products including a shelf that houses an extendable desk, adapted for the needs of people working from home.

"It's the ideal solution for small spaces. With the pandemic, clients want a home that is more functional but also still elegant," said Domenico Tescione from the Rimini-based firm that saw its revenues increase by 20 per cent last year.

The wider Italian furniture industry had a difficult 2020, when the country endured months of coronavirus lockdowns, with turnover falling 8.9 per cent to 21.2 billion euros ($25 billion).

In the first half of 2021, however, sales soared and even overtook pre-pandemic levels, at 14.3 per cent higher than the same period in 2019.

Bright colours

Comfort has become increasingly important. "Working for hours on an old table and repurposed chair is unacceptable," said Andrea Bottoli of office furniture firm Martex.

Home-workers who spend much of their day in videoconferences are also focusing more and more on their image. 

"They put the company logo as a backdrop, they try to find the most attractive part of their house and adapt the light so they don't look too tired," Bottoli said.

Before the pandemic, "clients looked for office furniture that made it feel more like home — and now it's the reverse. They want an office at home, without it looking like a workplace", added designer India Mahdavi.

Another trend during lockdowns was that "people wanted their house to be a happy place, so with more colour and greenery", she told AFP.

The trend of searching out durable, solid and sustainable material was highlighted by the fair's "urban forest", 100 maples, oaks, lime, apple and plum trees that welcomed visitors and will later be replanted around Milan.

"The pandemic has revealed a huge appetite in people for creating, for renovating their homes, because they are staying at home, they don't travel so much," said French designer Pierre Yovanovitch.

He believes "people want comfort, sensuality", not cold, white interiors: "They are searching for more playfulness, more colour, more joy."

HUSAVIK, Iceland — Just off the northern coast of Iceland, scientists are collecting data from whales’ breath to find out if they get stressed by whale-watching boats, an industry that has boomed in recent years.

Researchers from Whale Wise, a marine conservation charity, are studying the whales’ stress levels in their hormones.

From their small sailboat, a drone lifts off. After six hours of waiting, the scientists have finally spotted a humpback whale.

Attached to the flying device are two petri dishes — transparent cylindrical containers — that will collect water droplets from the whale’s spray.

The timeframe to collect the sample is short — the duration of a whale’s breath. 

This time, the drone flies over the whale carefully, crossing through the spray coming from the whale’s blowhole... and mission accomplished. It returns to the sailboat, delivering its precious cargo to the researchers.

Once wrapped in paraffin and frozen, the samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.

The researchers aim to collect samples before a whale watching boat arrives and then afterwards, then compare the two samples to determine the direct impact of that encounter on stress levels.

Tourists have been increasingly flocking to the waters of the North Atlantic off Iceland to admire the majestic creatures, though 2020 was a quiet year due to the pandemic.

More than 360,000 whale watchers were registered in 2019, three times the number a decade ago.

Almost a third of them began their whale watching tour in the Husavik harbour, heading for the chilly waters of Skjalfandi Bay.

Feeding disruptions

Previous studies on tourism’s impact on whales, which were based on behavioural observations, concluded that tourism caused only minor disruptions to the mammals.

The most recent study, from 2011, found that whale-watching excursions were disrupting minke whales in the Faxa Bay near Reykjavik, in the south of the country.

“We found that the minke whales were disturbed in their feeding, but it was only a short-term disturbance,” one of the authors of the study, Marianne Rasmussen, director of the University of Iceland Research Centre in Husavik, told AFP.

“It didn’t affect their overall fitness.”

The method used by Whale Wise this summer has been used elsewhere by biologists but this was a first for researchers in Iceland.

“From the samples, you can look at hormones such as cortisol, which is a stress-related hormone, and then you can determine the physiological stress levels of these whales,” said Tom Grove, Whale Wise co-founder and a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. 

Since 2018, 59 samples have been collected. While a minimum of 50 are needed for a proper analysis, he hopes to collect around 100.

This summer, some of the samples were collected together with French environmental group Unu Mondo Expedition, which travelled to Iceland for a month-long expedition to study climate change issues.

“The whales are important to us, for our lives, because they are part of the ecosystem on our planet,” said Sophie Simonin, 29, the organisation’s co-founder.

“They also absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide,” she added.

According to a December 2019 study by the International Monetary Fund, a large whale captures an average of 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

While whales are a tourist attraction, they are also hunted in Iceland.

The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986, but Iceland, which opposed the moratorium, resumed its hunt in 2003.

Iceland only bans the hunt of blue whales.

But while the country has established an annual quota of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales until 2023, no whales were hunted this year for the third straight year, as whalers say it is not financially viable.

LOS ANGELES — In Hollywood’s latest attempt to score in the huge — but highly restrictive — Chinese market, an Asian actor has been cast as a leading Marvel superhero for the first time.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” takes the 25th instalment in the wildly popular Marvel film series into mythical China, where enormous beasts, mysticism and kung fu collide for a tale about the difficult relationship between a son and his father.

The titular son — played by relatively unknown Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu — fled his controlling dad as a teenager, after being sculpted into a deadly assassin, and washes up in the United States.

There he lives anonymously, palling around with the underachieving Katy, played by Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians”), until his father — Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung — sends a sinister gang to chase him home.

“Shang-Chi” locates itself firmly in the record-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe series of movies, with an amusing reprisal of Ben Kingsley’s washed-up actor Trevor Slattery from “Iron Man 3.”

Its value for Marvel Studios, and owner Disney, however, was expected to be as a vehicle for expanding into the Chinese market.

“It’s very moving because it’s been a long time coming to have an Asian superhero, and a movie that celebrates not only our culture but our humanity,” Asian-American actress Jodi Long told AFP at the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles.

“And I think that’s really important in this time of Covid and xenophobia.”

‘Stereotype’

Yet, despite a predominantly Asian cast, and huge swathes of dialogue in Mandarin — both predicted to be popular among China’s cinemagoers — success for “Shang-Chi” is far from guaranteed.

Like the previous Marvel film “Black Widow”, the film still doesn’t have a release date in China, where movie theatres reopening this summer are stocked largely with domestic, patriotic features.

As well as protecting Chinese filmmaking, this could reflect growing discontent with Disney-owned Marvel, whose next big superhero outing “Eternals” is being directed by Beijing-born Chloe Zhao.

Zhao won two Oscars including an historic best director statuette this year for “Nomadland”, but her success has been censored in China after a nationalist backlash over years-old interviews in which she appeared to criticise her country of birth.

Excitement in China for “Shang-Chi” also appears to be lukewarm among some social media users.

“This movie will only deepen the world’s stereotype of us,” wrote one user on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like messaging service.

“Marvel may not want to insult China, but it is a fact that in terms of casting, it has to cater to the American social aesthetic of humiliating China.”

Another user called it “a poor attempt to mint money from Chinese audiences”.

On popular review site Duoban — similar to Rotten Tomatoes — one user bemoaned the notion of an Americanised Chinese man returning to his homeland to do battle with his traditionally minded father.

“Marvel do you really want to enter China with such a plot?” the user wrote.

‘Multi-dimensional’

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, in a recent interview with a Chinese film journalist, sought to tamp down that criticism, insisting the narrative is actually one of Shang-Chi returning to his roots.

“That sense of running away... is presented as one of his flaws,” he said, according to Variety.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton told AFP that filmmakers had worked hard to overcome “some very clear stereotypes that were created in life and society, and that were also part of the original comics.” 

“So for me the most important thing to get right in this movie were the characters — that they are relatable, that they are multi-dimensional, whether they are the hero Shang-Chi or whether they are the quote-unquote villain.”

Box office

The North American box office got a big boost as Disney’s new “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, featuring Marvel’s first leading Asian superhero, scored an unexpectedly strong $71.4 million opening, industry observer Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

That figure, for the Friday-through-Sunday period, was a Labour Day weekend record, the Hollywood Reporter said, and the film is expected to take in an additional $12.1 million on Monday. 

“This is a fantastic opening on a traditionally quiet Labour Day weekend,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “The three-day number is a record-breaker for the holiday, a positive finish to the summer... [marking] a sensational weekend for the industry.”

The film, which has drawn strong reviews for its choreography and Asian representation, enjoyed the second biggest opening of this pandemic year, behind Marvel’s “Black Widow”, which had an $80 million opening.

By way of comparison, Universal’s slasher film “Candyman” topped last weekend’s box office with just $22 million before slipping to second place this weekend with a three-day take of $10.6 million ($13 million for four days). It stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. 

In third place this weekend was “Free Guy” from 20th Century, at $8.7 million ($11.2 million for four days). The sci-fi comedy stars Ryan Reynolds as an everyman bank teller who finds himself inside a huge video game.

Paramount animation “PAW Patrol: The Movie” came in fourth, at $4 million ($5.2 million for four days). It tells the story of a boy and the brave young pups who help him save their city from an impeachment-worthy mayor.

And in fifth was Disney’s family adventure film “Jungle Cruise,” with a take of $3.95 million ($5.2 million for four days).

Rounding out the top 10 were “Don’t Breathe 2” ($2.2 million for three days; $2.7 million for four), “Respect” ($1.2 million; $1.5 million), “The Suicide Squad” ($905,000; $1.1 million), “Black Widow” ($748,000; $903,000) and “The Night House” ($552,000; $700,000).